Blog List

Metatarsalgia

Description

Metatarsalgia refers to pain in the balls of the feet (the area between the toes and the arch). Metatarsalgia is often referred to as a symptom, rather than as a specific disease. Common causes of metatarsalgia include interdigital neuroma (also known as Morton neuroma), metatarsophalangeal synovitis, avascular necrosis, sesamoiditis, and inflammatory arthritis. The most important structures in the balls of the feet are the five metatarsal heads (the ends of the metatarsal bones that connect to the toes) and the protective fatty pad that cushions the ball of the foot. Each time we take a step forward, we push-off with our toes and the ball of the foot, forcing ourselves forward. To do this, we force 100% of our body weight on these structures. If they are not aligned perfectly, or if we have insufficient fatty padding, we experience pain in the ball of the foot.

Metatarsalgia

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Sprained Ankle

Description

Sprained ankles may occur frequently and become a serious medical problem, destabilizing your every step and putting you in jeopardy of taking a disastrous fall. Ankle sprains can be divided into groups of mild, moderate, or severe. These are often graded as Grade 1, which is a mild sprain, Grade 2 that is more severe and may be associated with longer recovery and may involve a partial tear of ligaments or tendon. Grade 3 often refers to a complete tear of the ligaments and tendon and requires longer periods of care and in severe cases may require surgical treatment.


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Shin Splints

Description

Shin splints is a term used to describe several conditions due to inflammation of the muscle and tendon attachments to the lower leg bone (tibia). Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is also used to describe shin splints. The term shin splints should not be used to describe specific tenderness on one area of the bone such as a possible stress fracture. Shin splints are characterized by pain and tenderness along the inner aspect of the lower 2/3 of the tibia. The posterior tibialis and soleus muscles attach to the tibia in this area. The function of these muscles is to support the arch of the foot and to help the calf muscles direct the foot. Shin splints are usually due to repetitive use of these muscles, resulting in an inflammation at their attachment sites on the bone.

This term usually applies to pain in the front of the leg, occurring anywhere between the ankle and the knee. However, it can also refer to pain in the inner side of the lower leg. Walking, running, or jumping usually initiates the pain in both of these areas. In extreme cases one can have pain in these areas while just standing still.


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Hammertoes

Description

Hammertoes are the result of deformed toe joints, tight tendons that attach to the toe, and misaligned toe bones. The usual appearance of a hammertoe is a toe bent upward at the middle toe joint, so that the top of this joint rubs against the top of the shoe. The remainder of the toe is bent downward so that, instead of the entire toe bearing weight, only the tip of the toe bears weight. Pain can occur on the top of the toe, the tip of the toe, or in both areas.

Hammertoes

Mallet toes and claw toes are similar to hammer toes, except that different joints on the toe are affected. The joint at the end of the toe buckles in a mallet toe, while a claw toe involves abnormal positions of all three joints in the toe. Hammertoes, mallet toes, and claw toes have similar symptoms and causes; therefore, treatments and preventive measures used to relieve hammertoe pain, frequently provide relief to painful mallet and claw toes as well.

Hammertoes are classified based on the mobility of the toe joints. There are two types:

  1. Flexible hammertoes: the joint has the ability to move. This type of hammertoe can be straightened manually.

  2. Rigid hammertoes: the joint does not have that same ability to move. Movement is very limited and can be extremely painful.

Hammertoes usually start out as mild deformities and get progressively worse over time. In the earlier stages, hammertoes are flexible and the symptoms can often be managed with changes in shoe styles and foot care products. But if left untreated, hammertoes can become more rigid and painful. Corns are more likely to develop as time goes on-and corns never really go away, even after trimming. In more severe cases of hammertoe, corn lesions may evolve into severe ulcerations. These lesions frequently occur in patients who have vascular disease or are Diabetic with neuropathy. The ulcerations can extend to the bone and result in infection and possible loss of digit or amputation.


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Plantar Fasciitis

Overview

Heel pain affects over 2 million Americans each year and can be responsible for mild discomfort or even debilitating pain.

The two most common causes of pain in the bottom of the heel, the arch, or both the heel and the arch, are plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick ligamentous/fibrous band on the bottom of the foot that is attached to the heel, and runs forward to insert into the ball of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of this band, which usually occurs at its attachment to the heel; however, the inflammation and pain of plantar fasciitis can occur anywhere on the plantar fascia.

A Heel Spur is a piece of calcium or bone that sticks out from the bottom of the heel bone, and lies within the fibers of the plantar fascia. When walking, the spur may apply undue pressure to the plantar fascia. This produces inflammation and pain in the heel, which at times may radiate into the arch


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Aging Feet

Overview

By the time we reach 65, most of us will have walked more than 75,000 miles (3 times around the equator), and bore several million tons of weight on our feet. Over time, this abuse takes its toll on our feet and alters the structure of the feet. The most common changes that occur in the feet are listed below.

  • Increase in foot size and width.

  • The bottoms of the feet lose the fatty pads that cushion the feet (especially the balls of the feet), and the skin becomes thinner.

  • Flattening of the arch.

  • Ligaments And Tendons Become Looser And Weaker

  • Dry, Flaky Skin

  • Thick and discolored toenails.

  • Crooked toes and feet.


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Dry Skin & Cracked Heels

Description

Dry skin on any part of the body can be annoying and can cause flaking and cracking of the skin, redness due to scratching, and unsightly patches of thick/hard skin. However, when dry skin occurs on the feet, the symptoms of discomfort are magnified due to shoe wear, the stretching of the skin on the feet each time we step down, and by certain synthetic materials in the socks and shoes that dry the skin out even more. Because of the confining nature of the shoes we wear and the lack of fresh air that hits the skin of the feet due to our socks and shoes, dry feet need specialized care in order to prevent pain.

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Short Leg Syndrome

Description

When one leg is shorter then the other, it is medically referred to as Limb Length Discrepancy or Short Leg Syndrome. Having a shorter leg does indeed produce a variety of bodily symptoms, and the term “syndrome” is very accurate. Syndrome implies a multitude of symptoms.


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Obesity and the Feet

Overview

Overweight and obese people must be most concerned with the arch of the foot and the additional stress load it applies to the foot. As excessive amounts of weight are forced upon the feet, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that hold up the arch do not become stronger. They actually become stretched and weaker due to the extra weight that is forced upon these structures. In time, if these structures are not protected, they will allow the bones and joints of the feet to shift and collapse, causing the arch to become painful and even flat. This will lead to pain not only in the feet and ankles, but also to pain in the shins, knees, hips, and lower back.

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Flat Feet

The normal arch functions as a shock absorber for our entire body. Each time we step down, we place up to 5 times our body weight on the foot, depending on whether we are walking, running, or jumping. If there were no shock absorber in the foot, the force of each step would eventually fracture or dislocate the bones of the foot, leg, and lower back. When the arch is flat (a flat foot), it cannot function properly. If left untreated, this will lead to a completely collapsed foot which cannot function as a shock absorber at all; and, this in turn can cause constant pain in the foot, and eventually the knee, hip, and lower back.

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